One of the Last Surviving C-97s Sits in Front of a Wisconsin Inn

arc459 (Atlas Obscura User)

One of only a couple dozen surviving C-97 Stratofreighters, this plane’s fate saw it flown into the now-closed Dodgeville Municipal Airport in Wisconsin and subsequently’s towed to the Don Q Inn, where it now sits in a field.

The original plan for the military transport aircraft, which never took shape, was to open it as a coffee shop. Since then it has often been used for filming commercials, and the fuselage was once signed by Farrah Fawcett.

The C-97 was developed by Boeing towards the end of World War II, based on the B-29 bomber. The first Stratofreighter flew on July 8, 1947, and the model was used during the Berlin Airlift and Korea War. Only 56 were ever built.

Sadly, this C-97 has been neglected and is looking rather shabby. But there are stairs up to an open door and it can be viewed free of charge.

Know Before You Go

If you plan to visit, consider staying at the Don Q as it is a rather unique hotel in its own right. Nearby are the incredibly bizarre House on the Rock, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, and the Cave of the Mounds.